U.S. patent number 4,965,855 [Application Number 07/265,214] was granted by the patent office on 1990-10-23 for automobile shaped miniature radio set.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Sanrio Company, Ltd.. Invention is credited to Shintaro Tsuji.
United States Patent |
4,965,855 |
Tsuji |
October 23, 1990 |
Automobile shaped miniature radio set
Abstract
A model device that looks like a racing car. There are front and
rear axles and wheels thereon, a central portion, between the front
and rear axles, a hinged nose-like front portion extending forward
of the front axle that can be swung open to disclose a cavity, and
a rear portion forward of the rear wheels. A radio set is in said
central portion and has an on-off and volume control dial on one
side and a tuning dial on the other side. The dials are on an upper
portion of the central portion thereof. The central portion also
has a bottom cover with a detachable portion leading into a bottom
cavity. There is a reading light inside the cavity of the nose-like
portion and pivotally attached to the nose-like portion. A rearmost
portion is detachably secured to the rear portion. There is a
digital clock in the rearmost portion which has a hinged cover
thereon normally covering the digital clock but able to be swung
open. The rear portion also has a cover portion hinged at a forward
point thereof that can be swung open to reveal a rear cavity. There
is also a detachable antenna rod extending vertically up from the
central portion even with part of the rear portion.
Inventors: |
Tsuji; Shintaro (Tokyo,
JP) |
Assignee: |
Sanrio Company, Ltd. (Tokyo,
JP)
|
Family
ID: |
15783750 |
Appl.
No.: |
07/265,214 |
Filed: |
October 27, 1988 |
Foreign Application Priority Data
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Oct 27, 1987 [JP] |
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62-163942[U] |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
455/344; 446/485;
455/347 |
Current CPC
Class: |
A63H
17/26 (20130101); H04R 1/028 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
A63H
17/00 (20060101); A63H 17/26 (20060101); H04R
1/02 (20060101); H04B 001/06 (); H04B 001/08 () |
Field of
Search: |
;455/344-347
;446/129,137,139,297,298,299-303,485-487,484 ;368/45 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Eisenzopf; Reinhard J.
Assistant Examiner: Kuntz; Curtis
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Owen, Wickersham & Erickson
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A model device that looks like a racing car, said device
comprising:
front and rear axles and wheels thereon,
a central portion, between said front and rear axles,
a hinged nose-like front portion extending forward of said front
axle that can be swung open to disclose a cavity, and
a rear portion forward of said rear wheels,
a radio set in said central portion having an on-off and volume
control dial on one side and a tuning dial on the other side, said
central portion having said dials on an upper portion thereof, said
central portion also having a bottom cover with a detachable
portion leading into a bottom cavity,
a reading light inside the cavity of said nose-like portion and
pivotally attached to said nose-like portion, and
a rearmost portion detachably secured to said rear portion.
2. The device of claim 1 having a digital clock in said rearmost
portion, said rearmost portion having a hinged cover thereon
normally covering said digital clock but able to be swung open to
disclose said digital clock.
3. The device of claim 1 wherein said rear portion has a cover
portion hinged at a forward point thereof that can be swung open to
reveal a rear cavity.
4. The device of claim 1 having a detachable antenna rod extending
vertically up from said central portion even with part of said rear
portion.
5. A model device that looks like a racing car, said device
comprising:
front and rear axle and wheels thereon,
a central portion between said front and rear axles,
a hinged nose-like front portion extending forward of said front
axle that can be swung open at a rear end point thereof to disclose
a front cavity, and a rear swingable portion having a pivot at its
forward end connecting it swingably to said central portion, with a
cavity therebeneath,
a radio set in said central portion having an on-off and volume
control dial on one side of said central portion and a tuning dial
on the other side of said central portion, said central portion
having said dials on an upper portion thereof, said central portion
also having therebeneath a bottom cover with a detachable portion
leading into a bottom cavity,
a reading light inside said front cavity pivotally attached to said
nose-like portion, and
a rearmost portion detachably secured to said rear portion and
having a cavity with a cover over it and a digital clock
therein.
6. The device of claim 5 having a detachable antenna rod extending
vertically up from said central portion even with part of said rear
portion.
7. The device of claim 5 wherein said nose-like portion and said
rear portion pivot along closely adjacent locations.
Description
This invention relates to an automobile-shaped miniature radio set,
including a reading lamp and a digital watch.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The invention endeavors to provide an attractive and pleasing radio
set that does not look like an ordinary radio and performs
functions also not performed by an ordinary radio. When not used as
a radio, the device looks a great deal like a model of a racing
car.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a partially exploded perspective view of the radio set
viewed from the front and with the reading lamp portion shown in
solid lines in the open position, and shown in broken lines in
closed position. Also, the rear-end portion is shown detached. This
detached portion acts as a digital watch, either attached or
detached. Also shown detached are the batteries and a portion of
the battery receptacle.
FIG. 2 is a view of the radio set in side elevation.
FIG. 3 is a divided sectional view. At the upper end is a plan view
taken along the line 3--3 in FIG. 2, and the lower portion of this
view is a view in section taken along the line X--X in FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is a view in longitudinal section corresponding to FIG. 2,
but showing portions of the device in vertical section, along the
line 4--4 in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a fragmentary bottom view of the radio set looking along
the line 5--5 in FIG. 2.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION SOME PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
The device 10 as a whole, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, looks like a
racing car. There is a central portion 11, which houses the radio
set itself. This central portion lies between a front axle 12
having a pair of front wheels 13 on its opposite ends, and a rear
axle 14 having a pair of rear wheels 15 on its opposite ends. Being
a racing car model, the rotatable wheels 14 and 16 are outside of
the side from the main body, as can be seen best in FIGS. 1 and 3.
A forward nose-like portion 16 is hinged at a hinge 17, as shown
best in FIG. 1.
A hood proper 20 opens up to reveal a hood cavity 21a (FIG. 1), and
the nose-like portion 16 that swings up also includes a pivoted
member 21 holding a light bulb 22, which can be pivoted out as
shown in FIG. 1; so that the device 10 can itself be used as a
reading lamp.
The radio set itself, in the center portion 11 of the body, has a
dial 25 for turning it on and off and for volume, and another dial
26 (FIG. 3) on the opposite side of the "car" for tuning. On the
bottom of the vehicle 10, as shown best in FIG. 5, is a switch 27
which switches back and forth from the FM to the AM mode of
operation of the radio. Also on the bottom, is the speaker portion
28, which projects the sound down toward the floor or table.
Also, on the bottom, toward the front, is a cover member 30 which
opens to a cavity 31 accepting batteries 32, of which two AA
batteries are normally used. The cavity 31 may be formed to define
and show in which direction the batteries 32 are to be mounted.
Thus, the radio functions without interfering with and without the
help of the front and rear portions 16 and 35 of the vehicle, and
without disclosing just what is going on. The tuning dial 26 and
volume dial 25 do not appear to be dials and look like a part of
the racing vehicle.
At the rear portion 35 of the vehicle is a portion 36, which can be
pivoted upwardly as shown in FIG. 1 over a cavity which serves to
allow space for miscellaneous material. A rearmost portion 37 of
the vehicle 10 is a detachable member which can function to support
a digital clock 38 or watch at that point.
The rear portion 35 on one end of the central portion 11 also has
threaded to it a vertical antenna rod 40, which may comprise two
telescoping portions 41 and 42.
To those skilled in the art to which this invention relates, many
changes in construction and widely differing embodiments and
applications of the invention will suggest themselves without
departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The
disclosures and the descriptions herein are purely illustrative and
are not intended to be in any sense limiting.
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